Merry Christmas

Christmas Morning - traditional picture on the couch with the stockings:

Grandma Liddell made them all pajama bottoms for Christmas eve, and they decorated their own T-shirts to go with them.

Our Christmas card for the year:

Part of some thoughts I shared for a Christmas activity at our church:

Luke 2 -

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 

In the time when Jesus Christ was born on earth, shepherds were a little different than they are today. If you've ever been to southern Utah (or wherever else they raise sheep), you might see farmers herding their sheep with sheep dogs, or 4-wheelers, always herding the sheep from behind, pushing them forward. But that's not the way it's always been. In ancient times, shepherds never herded from behind, they led out in front, and all the sheep would follow them. The shepherd would call to them, and they would come. Why? Because they trusted the shepherd. He would always lead them to greener pastures and clearer waters. When danger was near, he wouldn't abandon them, but would fight for them, risking his own life to keep them safe. He knew each sheep individually. He loved them, and they loved him.

 

 I don't think that it was a coincidence that shepherds were among those chosen to witness the birth of the Savior who is our own Good Shepherd.

John 10 -

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

We hope everyone had a beautiful and joyful Christmas!

Gangnam Cousins

The last few times we have gotten together with Joe's family, all the kids have gotten together and performed something for us - a dance, a song, whatever - just being silly and having fun, as cousins do (and should).

Here's what they came up with for this trip.

I got to see a bunch of my own cousins at our Petersen family Christmas party.  Even as adults, we still know how to be silly and have fun too:)

It Snowed A Lot

We went to Utah for a couple of weeks over the Christmas break.  We were hoping for a white Christmas, and Utah did not disappoint.

 

Manti temple

It snowed almost every day we were there, and our kids loved it! It was a good thing we brought gloves and hats and scarves, because they played out in the snow every day.  We've never lived in a place that gets much snow.  We were worried about Bo getting too cold while we were there, and bought her a couple of sweaters - though we're usually opposed to dressing dogs;) - but we needn't have worried.  She loved the snow as much as the kids.

I got a picture of the dog with a snow beard, but not ONE picture of the kids playing in the snow!  Whatever part of my brain tells me to take pictures was obviously shut off during Christmas break, grrrrrr (Juli, was this your fault?  Were you hogging the brain again?).

Aside from the snow, Joe's mother had the fun idea to decorate her Christmas tree only with things that were edible this year.  Since we hadn't made our annual Christmas ornament before we left on vacation, we decided to add to her tree by stringing popcorn....a dangerous feat if there ever was one;)  But my kids soldiered on, and wore their battle wounds (and band-aids) well.  By the way, they did their grandma proud, and ate her tree clean;)

No pictures of the tree.

Speaking of battle wounds, Alex almost got killed by a gigantic icicle....well, at least I was afraid he was going to be killed by one because he was standing directly underneath a row of HUGE ones, and was jumping up to try to grab them.  I banged on the window and yelled for him to move away.  Then I went outside, grabbed a shovel, and wacked them all down....and one of them tried to kill ME, but I jumped out of the way just in time - it still managed to wack my thumb.  Ouch!  It won that battle, but I won the war.

No pictures of the icicles.

We had two family Christmas parties - no pictures of those.  We saw some fancy Christmas lights - no pictures of those. 

We watched "Les Miserables", "The Dark Night Rises", and The Doctor Who Christmas special.  One night we watched a Lifetime original Christmas movie with Joe's parents, and his youngest brother Mike and his wife Amber.  We watched the WHOLE thing, and then marveled at those 2 hours of our lives that we would never get back;)  Oh Lifetime. 

We didn't get to see many friends (we didn't feel like driving much, what with all the snow), but I did see my beautiful friend Nicci, and I TOOK A PICTURE!

It was pretty bright outside (the sun reflecting off the snow and all) - not only are my eyes squinting, but my whole face is squinting! (or is that just me getting older?)

 

When we drove home to California, I was glad that we drove through the night, because even with sunglasses on, it was so bright with the snow, it was hurting my eyes.

 

And speaking of home, we were glad to get back here, and the warmer weather.  We had our white Christmas, but I DO like to wear my flip-flops thank you very much.

"What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out"

I. Am. Be. Hind. 

I've got Christmas to blog about, of course, and our trip to Utah (although I took hardly any pictures) but I've got to blog about another field trip first.

Everyone in the 4th grade chose one of the California Missions to build a model of and do a report on.  Joseph chose the Carmel Mission, or the San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of his model! (my camera has been neglected)  I think he felt a bit self-conscious when he took his model to school, and compared it to some of the others, which were extremely elaborate (and OBVIOUSLY made by their parents) - but he did a great job!

As a reward for their hard work on the unit, all the 4th graders got to go on a field trip to the San Juan Bautista Mission.  I, of course, volunteered to chaperone;)

Joe and I visited this mission a couple of times the last time we lived here.  It's beautiful.

If any of you are Hitchcock fans, you might recognize it from the movie Vertigo.  Just sayin'.

Surprisingly, there were no questions about "Vertigo" on the mission scavenger hunt that the students were given.  What are they teaching kids in school these days anyway?;)

We did have a bit of drama, when one of the kids (not in MY group) picked up a rifle when one of the museum workers walked away from it for just a second.  The museum worker went balistic!  I'm sure it just scared the crap out of him (I'm still not sure if the gun was loaded or not though), and he, in turn, scared the crap out of the kids.  It was very educational;)

Pizza! Pizza!

Did you know, I used to be the assistant manager at Little Caesar's.  This post isn't about that.

Cora and I had the opportunity to go on a field trip to Pizza My Heart.

This is a small pizza chain here in Northern California.  Although they are small, this year they won the "World's Best Pizza" award at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas - the first American team to ever win the award!

Each kid got their own T-shirt, got to make their own pizza, and saw the workings of the restaurant behind the scenes.

The best part was the manager, who entertained us with his dough tossing skills:)

 

After the field trip was over, Cora and I ordered a slice of their Pesto pizza.

It was delicious.  Was it the best pizza I've ever had?  Ummm, I think I'll always be partial to Fat Jack's in Ephraim....and yes, I still call it Fat Jack's, even though they changed their name, which they never should have done, even if someone new bought the business.  The end.

 

Family Visit and Belated Birthday

Yay!  Joe's parents came for a quick visit last weekend.  We didn't want to wear them out TOO much, but we sure packed a lot into our Saturday.  First the aquarium.

 Then Fisherman's wharf. 

 Of course, we had to get our seafood fix.  Joe's mom didn't think she could eat a whol sourdough breadbowl full of clam chowder, but she wanted more than a cup, so she ordered just a regular bowl. Well, it turned out that the "cup" was really more like a bowl, and the "bowl" she ordered was really more like a huge serving bowl - like 4 times as much as was in the sourdough bread bowl.  We all helped her eat some, and we still never saw the bottom of the bowl;)  And I'm mad because I didn't get a picture of it!

The kids also got to hold some exotic birds that a man had on the wharf.

Then we went to the Butterfly Garden, and saw a lot more butterflies this time. They were all packed in close together to stay warm (we had just had a few days of stormy weather), but we were able to see them through a telescope they had set up there, and I got this awesome picture.

 And finally, we FINALLY celebrated Joseph's birthday.  Yep, I dropped the ball again.  Seriously people, what is wrong with me?!  I'm so lucky that Joseph is so patient and tolerant of me always being late to celebrate his birthday.  We had a LEGO birthday for him, and played a lego board game, and had a lego building competition, and everyone got a new lego person.

Here is the last 10 years with our wonderful, handsome, and talented Joseph Thomas Liddell.

Day 1 - weighing in at 9 1/2 lbs!

 I think the first year consisted mostly of patiently surviving Cora's intense "loving";)

 2 years, and she's still all over him, but he loves her.  They're still best friends:)

 3 years - the perfect Harry Potter

 4 years - 4 Josephs celebrated the 4th of July

5 years - all siblings present and accounted for.

 6 years - new glasses (sorry you inherited my bad eyes, but hey, they look good on you!)

7 years - missing teeth

 8 years - getting baptized

 9 years - spending time with Mom and Dad

10 years - loving life, and ready for more:)

We love you Joseph!  Hope you had a great birthday......a long time ago;)

Grateful - Week 4

1. On Thursday I was grateful for Thanksgiving.  I know that there are a few people out there who think that Thanksgiving is an antiquated holiday, celebrating the wrongs we committed against the American Indians, while killing millions of innocent turkeys.  Sigh.  I guess holidays are what you make of them.  To me, Thanksgiving, while it only comes once a year, reminds me to give thanks to God, and recognize his hand in my life EVERY day.  I'm grateful to be reminded to be grateful.

2. On Friday I was grateful for my oldest child, Cora.  I've said it once, and I'll say it again - she is my heart.....she is ALL heart.  She is my example of Christ-like love.  In so many ways she is just like her father.  It makes me laugh, because every time they butt heads, I remind them that they're being EXACTLY like each other.  She is smart, she is funny, she is beautiful inside and out, she is mature and responsible, she is generous, she is organized, she is artistic, she is GOOD.  Homeschooling her has not been all roses, but I have loved spending all the extra time with her - truly a joy.

3. On Saturday I was grateful for Joseph.  He's such a love-bug.  Always hugging and kissing and showing affection.  He still loves to play with my hair - it's like his security blanket.  He has such a great love for learning new things, he is quick to learn new things, and he loves to share what he has learned.  He is smart, he is energetic, he is sensitive and passionate, he is creative, he is comfortable in his own skin, he is SWEET.  Joseph's favorite thing is to spend time with his family, and I love that about him.

4. On Sunday I was grateful for Joe.  My sister's husband past away 2 years ago on Sunday.  I know that she finds peace in knowing that they won't be apart forever, and that is what I am most thankful for too - knowing that my relationship with Joe is forever.  I am grateful that Joe is my best friend. I am grateful that Joe is the father of my children. He is funny, he is hard working, he is smart, he is inventive, he is patient, he is considerate, he is a man of integrity, he is a man that puts his family first, he is the kind of person that makes me want to be a better person.  Forever sounds good to me.

5. On Monday I was grateful for Madelyn.  Oh Madelyn.  She is a girl, that's for sure.  She loves clothes, and pink, and cute things.  She is really loving school this year, and comes home every day and does her homework right away without me asking her to. She is feminine, she is fierce, she is dramatic, at times she is attention-seeking, and at other times over-confident, she is CUTE.  She is almost always willing to help anyone out with their chores if it means she can play with them.  Love that girl!

6. On Tuesday I was grateful for Alex.  Alex has decided to help me cook every meal, and he puts on his "manly" apron, and stands up on a chair, and does what he can.  He's also decided he wants to be an artist.  He spends a LOT of time drawing, and if you've ever seen his writing or drawing, you'll know how detail-oriented he is.  He is meticulous, he is dedicated and determined, he is sometimes oblivious, he is full of energy, he is HAPPY.  You can hardly keep up with the boy, and I'm glad he's mine.

7. On Wednesday I was grateful for my in-laws.  Boy, did I luck out in that department!  Every single last one of them - LOVE THEM!  I was also grateful for my sisters.  As kids, Lorraine and I butted heads a lot, and I hardly even knew that Marie and Rebekah existed;)  But dang, I love those girls!  I am thankful for the unique relationships that I have with each one of them - none of them are the same.  I am so jealous that they all get to live close to each other, and I am far away:(

Plus two extra days to finish off the month

8. On Thursday I was grateful for miracles, big and small.  Thursday was my nieces 6th birthday, and a post on facebook by my sister reminded me of the miracle of her birth - "Six years ago today I sat in an exam room and was told that the baby I was carrying had a day or two to live. We were actually given the option to let her die and deliver her as a stillborn. We were then told by the neonatologist all of the many problems we may have to face with such a small baby. Later that night the doctor came in the room and said we have to deliver this baby now, she is not going to make it through the night! 21 minutes later Ava Marie Few was born weighing only 15 0z. Although this was one of the scariest days of my life I became a mother that day. Happy Birthday Ava.... I love you to the moon and back!!!!!"  I just want to share some of the picture I have of Ava, beginning with her birth, up until now.  She truly is a miracle, and I'm grateful.

9. On Friday I was grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has taught me all of the important things I know in life. I know that I am a daughter of God, who loves me. I know where I came from, why I am here, and what it is possible for me to become. I know that I have worth, and that I am loved unconditionally. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and that he died for me. I know that when I make mistakes, it is possible to get back on the right path. I know that families can be together forever.  I know that the scriptures are the word of God, and that they can give us peace and guidance.  I know that there are living prophets today who give us direction that is relevant to the world we live in. What I don't know, is what my life would be like if I didn't know these things. I am grateful that I do.